A 22-0 drubbing by the Cleveland Indians in 2004 remains the Yankees’ worst shutout defeat, an infamous chapter in their history. But their latest collapse against the Marlins may be remembered as one of their most gut-wrenching defeats, particularly for the way it unraveled. A seemingly comfortable 6-0 lead evaporated into a stunning bullpen meltdown, fueled by failures from the very reinforcements the Yankees had hyped at the trade deadline.

Well, Yankees fans have seen their team stumble against rivals before, but rarely like this. This was not just a loss, but a collapse, a gut-punch that echoed through the clubhouse and left the pinstripes reeling.

“THE MARLINS WIN!!!” MLB’s official account posted on X. It was a normal and periodic update. But this time, it haunted the Yankees fanbase like nothing else. The Bombers had a rough night in Miami, falling 13-12 at the LoanDepot Park.

They built leads of 6-0, 9-4, and 12-10, which meant the offense did its job. But the bullpen, featuring three brand-new arms from Thursday’s trade deadline, couldn’t hold onto any of those leads.

The first in line was Jake Bird, whose Yankees debut was a nightmare. He faced just a handful of batters, gave up three hits, and allowed four runs in a third of an inning. David Bednar followed, giving up four hits and two runs in 1.2 innings, though he at least got them through the eighth. Later, came Camilo Doval, giving up two hits and three runs and taking the loss.

But, the chaos didn’t end on the mound. Another debutant, Jose Caballero, made the night even worse with a costly misplay in right field. In the ninth, he let a grounder get past him toward the warning track, allowing the tying runs and setting up the winning run on third.

With all these misplays coming together, the result was expected. But fans are yet to accept what they just saw.

Fans are stunned by the performance of Yankees’ bullpen

“HOW ARE THOSE TRADES LOOKING NOW???” wrote a fan. Well, the Yankees were one of the busiest teams at the trade deadline. Injuries to Mark Leiter Jr., Jake Cousins, and Ryan Yarbrough left them shorthanded. But the arrivals of Jake Bird, David Bednar, and Camilo Doval seemed like the perfect solution. Bednar, in particular, was a huge grab. He was one of New York’s top trade targets and arguably the most coveted reliever on the market.

But the trio gave up 10 runs in the game. So, on paper, the reinforcements might have looked like a dream. In reality? Not so much.

Apart from losing the game, what stung the fans the most was how the Yankees blew up a 6-0 lead. “YANKEES DISASTERCLASS THEY LED 6-0,” remarked another fan. For a while, it looked like the Yankees were cruising to an easy win. They jumped out to a 6-0 lead, fueled by Giancarlo Stanton’s three-run blast in the fourth and a three-run fifth inning. But once they hit that six-run mark, the Marlins’ bats came alive. By the end of the seventh, the Yankees’ cushion had shrunk to 9-4. And that’s when Aaron Boone turned things over to his new-look bullpen. However, the lead vanished into thin air.

“I thought they had the best bullpen in the AL East, tho, Bob?” One user commented. While the Yankees’ bullpen imploded, the Red Sox’s relievers continue to set the standard in the division. Boston’s bullpen owns a sparkling 3.33 ERA, the best in the AL East and third-best in all of MLB. So, despite adding three new relievers to the team, it’s not the Yankees’ bullpen that is the best by any stretch. However, this fan here was just being sarcastic.

With these misplays and errors accumulating, the result is that the Yankees are getting away from the October dreams. “WS repeat is fading fast …” read a comment. Currently, the Bombers are ranked second in the AL East and are a cool 3.5 wins behind the Blue Jays. A 5-5 record in the last 10 games is just not enough to go beyond October. With how the bullpen is faltering in the clutch moment, the Yankees fans may have to brace for the worst.

“People overreacted to the trades. I know Bednar and Doval both spent time in the minors the last year or so. They’re good pitchers, but you gotta be realistic. Rude awakening,” another netizen chimed in. Now, that’s a very rational take. To expect the newcomers to straightaway turn the Yanks’ fortunes is a bit too much. But will they find their feet going forward? Only time will tell!